Special Planning
by Good Luck Mode
Summary: AU between Barnaby Brooks Jr and Tomoe. Born on a different timeline, Tomoe leads a completely different life; marrying the rookie hero, the two are just beginning to start a family. RP log, so frequent change in POV
1. 0 weeks

They discussed it over, and over. When the right time would be, how it should be done, why it should be done. To put it simply, Barnaby was being the worry wart he was and planned everything down to the last detail.

Tomoe however, was there to break him away from his methodical planning.

Hero work, was hard work. She knew that. So it was less than surprising that he was sprawled out on the couch fast asleep; glasses pushed up his forehead so that his arm could rest over his eyes. With a sigh and a smile, she kissed his lips, smiling further when he reciprocated in his half wakened state.

"Barnaby… you do remember what today is, right?"

He woke up to the sensation of familiar lips pressing against his, and automatically reciprocated as he returned to full consciousness. As they separated, he groaned softly, dragging both hands down his face to try and wake himself up; it had been a late night of Hero work, and he hadn't done much more than take off his jacket and toss it over the top of the couch before collapsing onto the cushions.

Barnaby looked up at her, blinking blearily as she asked him something. What today was? …What day was it? His sleep-fogged brain seemed to refuse to clear and he shook his head a bit.

"…No…"

"After all of the planning you did, you forgot?" Her smile never faltered, but if he was really that tired then she would let him sleep longer. She knew how much he hated his plans being thrown off track, off schedule, but perhaps he had sincerely forgotten in his daze. "You can sleep longer if you want, we can put it off until next month." She muttered, brushing the side of his face softly with her hand.

The sun had gone down long ago — so putting it off until the coming month wouldn't really be a problem for her; but they couldn't mix her schedule with his work schedule, it was difficult to coordinate things as best as they could. Things were clear for today until he'd gotten an unexpected call into work.

He tilted his face into her touch, a languid smile spreading across his face as he gazed up at her, eyes half-lidded. He reached up to move a few stray strands out of her eyes, fingertips brushing her cheek and down her jawline. The city lights streaming in through the window highlighted her dark hair and made her pale skin almost seem to glow.

Propping himself up on one elbow, glasses still on top of his head, he leaned up and closed the space between them for a long moment before pulling back with another smile.

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" She smiled back although it held some concern. "I mean… this is a really, _really_ big decision, Barnaby." Carefully, she tipped his glasses back down so that he could see, see that she was truly serious about this decision and that she cared for his opinion — that it'd be okay to back down if he wanted. She combed his hair back with her fingers, kissing his forehead.

"It's okay if you don't want to go through with it. I understand completely."

"I'm sure. It'll probably be difficult or stressful sometimes, but…" He let his hand rest on the gentle curve of her cheek. "…I love you — and that's reason enough."

He kissed her again, the contact lasting longer this time before he pulled away and sat up, leaning back against the rear cushions of the couch.

She moved respectively out of his way, allowing him to sit up. A leg slipped over his lap, before pressing her lips to his again, hands resting on his cheeks; enjoying the contact until she pulled away.

"And I love you too…" She breathed, lips connecting with his once more.

He blushed a little when she was sitting in his lap; this was foiling some of his thought-out plans, but at the moment, he couldn't really bring himself to care very much. One hand on the small of her back and the other buried in her dark hair, he pulled her a bit closer as he deepened the contact.

Nervousness fluttered in the pit of his stomach, but he tried not to let the quiver spread any further, breaking the kiss with a small sigh. He pressed his forehead to hers, half-lidded green eyes locking with her dark brown gaze.

Gazing at him with careful brown eyes, she looped her arms around his neck — never breaking that eye contact. She gave a soft, reassuring smile and gave a quick peck to his lips.

"We'll go as slow as you want." She murmured. It was all up to him, all the decisions — and she didn't mind that.

He knew the decisions were his to make, and that only increased his nervousness. He'd contended with pressure before, but never like this. It had always been the expectations of his employers weighing down on him—now, it was something much more important. His hands started shaking a little as his confidence wavered slightly, and he hid his face in the crook of her neck to try and calm his jittery nerves.

He had her warmth, her presence, and the gentle scent of soap and vanilla with apple blossoms; those alone bolstered his confidence. He pushed a few locks back from her neck so he could kiss his way up to her cheek before moving to her lips again. When he pulled back, he couldn't restrain the persisting shudder in his breath. He knew she'd said they could take as slow as he wanted, but under this sort of unfamiliar pressure and in this sort of new situation, he doubted—albeit regrettably and with a small pang of self-annoyance—that they'd get much of anywhere unless she took some sort of initiative somewhere along the line.

He started to look away, but forced himself to meet her gaze again. Though he tried to school his expression into one of at least some confidence, his eyes told all: shy awkwardness and a sort of mildly confused helplessness tinged with self-depracation seemed to alternate and mix together in brilliant green orbs.

She kept an eye on him, letting his lips wander where they pleased. His jitters didn't go unnoticed, but he still trudged on, working the crook of her neck before coming back to her lips. She happily returned the kiss, enjoying the lingering contact. Although his shaky breath made her brows knit together tightly. Did he want her to make some sort of advance? He turned away, returning to her gaze a moment later; confused and helpless.

"Here, hun…" Cupping his cheek gently, she bent forward, closing the gap between their lips again; allowing her body to rest closer against his.

He sighed into the contact, the nervous tension in his shoulders relaxing a bit as he let his hands tentatively explore her frame.

—

He was first to wake the following morning, internal clock refusing to be reset to any later time. The light of the sunrise was softened by the translucent curtains that hung over the window in their bedroom. He was comfortably warm despite his lack of clothing, most likely due to the fact that Tomoe was curled up at his side, one leg hooked over his and using his upper arm as a pillow. His hand and forearm tingled from reduced circulation, but he didn't really care that much.

With his free hand, he brushed a few dark strands from her calmly sleeping face and smiled warmly. Despite his almost incurable nervousness, the previous night had been wonderful. It was an indescribable feeling of freedom when he stopped thinking so much and stuck to instinct, and he noted silently that he wouldn't mind doing so every once in a while.

It was strange; there was no heat of an embarrassed flush to make his face feel like it was going to melt, no quiver of nervousness anymore. He only felt an unfamiliar but nonetheless welcome tranquility. If this was what it felt like to do something so intimate with someone you loved, he didn't understand why anyone would ever cheat. He realized that way of thinking was likely naïve to a lot of people, but the fact remained that he couldn't grasp the concept of cheating on the person you love—he severely doubted he ever would.

Softly groaning, Tomoe's eyes slowly opened — still heavy with sleep. She inhaled sharply and stretched, skin rubbing on skin. A groggy smile curved her lips as her hand traced over Barnaby's chest.

"Morning…" Her voice was tired, and there was a slight crack from not using it for the last few hours. She propped up on her elbow, leaning over to kiss him, despite the dull pain that resided in her hips. She could easily tell that he no longer had that nervous air about him — no bright red blush staining his face and make him jittery, even though she found that cute about him. He just seemed… _calm_.

With her shift in position, his arm compensated by wrapping protectively around her waist, tracing fingers along the curve of her hip; her own hand coming to brush away hair that still stuck to his forehead.

He let out a soft chuckle as she stretched, replying after she kissed him.

"Morning."

He continued to brush his fingertips along the smooth curve of her hip, concern furrowing his brow slightly. He knew it was probably a stupid question to ask, but he wanted to ask it anyway.

"Are…you all right?"

It hadn't been rough—far from it—but his worrisome side was starting to resurface.

"Hmm? No, I'm fine." She kissed the end of his nose, "You were great anyways…" She purred, her smile turning more sly.

She rolled away from him, slipping her nude form out from under the light blanket; trying to hide the limp as she guided herself to the bathroom. When she closed the door and was by herself, she leaned against the wall, releasing a soft, shaky breath as moments from just hours previous replayed through her mind and made her shudder. Shaking her head, she just opted to wash her face off — spotting hickies and bite marks littering her body when her eyes caught her own reflection in the vanity mirror.

She inspected each over, some making her wonder _how_ and _when_ they'd gotten there because she doesn't even remember him caressing her there. For some reason it just made her smile; he'd really come out of his shell.

Yup. That night was blissfully _amazing._

She tied her hair up easily, standing at the doorway from the washroom.

"Are you alright though?" If everything went according to his plans… then soon they'd find out if they were finally going to be parents.

He felt the familiar blush start to creep onto his face at her compliment, sitting up as she disappeared into the bathroom for a minute or two. She appeared again, hair tied up and still without clothes, as she asked him something. It took a moment for him to snap out of wondering if he'd messed up at any point before he answered.

"Hm? Oh… yeah, I'm fine." His brow furrowed a little again. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He knew the implications; pretty soon he could be discovering that he was going to be a father—but the thought didn't make him as nervous as he expected. Instead, he welcomed the notion, even looked forward to it. For a while, he'd been wanting to have some semblance of a normal home life, and now, he had a chance at realizing that wish. He silently promised himself that no matter what, he'd be there for their children as much as he could.

"Just wondering, Bunny." She offered, playing with the hair that hung down against her neck and back. Joining him at his side, she smoothed her thumb over his cheek, admiring tired jade hues. "Now we wait." She murmured softly. On the outside, she was calm and easygoing but on the inside she was a flurry of emotions varying from excitement to nervousness and anxiety. This would be one of the biggest decisions in their lives since their marriage.

This was a new path, however. One they had decided on together; Barnaby showing more excitement than she had originally expected. She thought now about the stress that would be put on her body, physically and mentally — how she'd be quick to snap and brood, and this made her frown.

"Bunny… if I do end up pregnant… please know that anything I do or say, I don't mean it — even if I say I mean it, I don't." She murmured, giving him a sad, unsure gaze, lips pursed with a frown.


	2. 4 weeks

He smiled, the expression laced with slight amusement, reassurance, and a bit of exasperation, and slid his hand to the back of her neck before kissing her for a long moment.

"You're talking to the one who pulled several all-nighters in a row last week looking up all the possible things that might happen during every day of those nine months." He chuckled. " It'll be fine. I know I should probably be the last person to say this, but…don't worry so much." He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

She felt reassured now, that small blurb of happiness coiling in her chest; a blush quickly rising to her cheeks. She nodded slowly, sighing.

—

A few weeks had passed by since that night. Barnaby had continued working as per usual, Tomoe going about her own business — shopping when it needed to be done, chores and the like — but now it was getting difficult. The first time she found herself running to the bathroom after waking from an almost dead sleep had set her off; she spent the next half hour emptying the contents of her stomach into the bowl of the toilet. Rinse and repeat for the next week.

She was thankful however that during those mornings Barnaby had had to go into the offices early — leaving her to herself. Except this one particular morning. It was disastrous, she knew he'd find out this way and it's not like she _didn't_ want him to know, but having him see her in such a weak and vulnerable state made her cringe. The blonde had the day off on this particular day — she was making him breakfast as he sat in his lounge chair; willing her stomach to keep everything down, but with all the different aromas floating through the air it made it damn near impossible.

The urge was sudden and almost violent as she began to gag and wretch, only having time to turn to the sink and empty her stomach there repeatedly. She thought it was about time to use those pregnancy tests she'd bought at the beginning of the week.

He was startled at the abrupt change, brow furrowing in concern as he jumped up from his chair and rushed into the kitchen just as she stopped. Realizing what it could be, he stepped forward and turned on the faucet to rinse out the sink. Rubbing a hand gently up and down her back, he tucked a loose strand behind her ear and pressed a small kiss to her temple.

"I'll handle breakfast, okay?" He petted her hair a bit more, smile gentle and reassuring, watching carefully for any further signs of sickness as he remained ready to whisk her away to the bathroom if necessary.

She trembled as she leaned over the sink, tears stinging at her eyes from being so sick. Spitting a few times into the sink, she was left breathless and panting, a groan escaping her. When she was sure she wouldn't be sick again, she made off to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Then after that would be downing glass after glass of water.

As she left for the bathroom, Barnaby turned to the stove just in time to rescue the food before it burned. Doling out portions for himself onto a plate, he paused as he glanced at the second empty plate before looking back towards the restroom. No sooner had he done so than Tomoe returned to the kitchen and started knocking back glass after glass of water. He wasn't sure if she'd be hungry after that sudden surprise, so he decided to ask.

"Er…did you want any breakfast, Tomoe?"

She peered from the corner of her eye and turned to the voice, still downing her glass of water. She shook her head, the thought of even coming near food made her want to throw up again. She set the glass down immediately as she finished it, giving him a nervous look.

"I-I guess it's time to find out." She swallowed hard, butterflies not helping her still queezy stomach. Her eyes reflected all that worry and anticipation, almost on the verge of tears again.

He set the pans aside, stepping closer when he saw her worried and almost tearful expression. Pulling her into a gentle hug—not wanting to upset her stomach again—he simply stood there silently, trying to let her know without using words that he was there for her, that he'd support her through everything.

Hugging him back tightly, she exhaled an unsteady breath, parting after a moment and nodding her head.

"Okay, I just downed like five glasses of water, I have to pee now." She admitted, turning away from him, flushed as she rushed off to the bathroom once more. It only took her a moment to root through the cupboard and pull out the pregnancy test, setting the box on the sink's counter.

Shifting her weight from foot to foot to ignore the persistence of her bladder's nagging, she took the small stick from the package, washed her hands and continued on with her business.

God this would be the longest three minutes of her life.

He let her go without a word, the heels of his hands leaning against the counter behind him as he stared idly around the room. There was a quiver of nervousness in the pit of his stomach, familiar but somehow different this time. It was almost like the time he finally got up the courage to propose to Tomoe, but there was still something indescribably different about it.

He looked up when he heard the bathroom door open, staring silently in anticipation at her, trying to watch her expression for any hints. As supplication, he spoke the single thought that overwhelmed his mind.

"…Well?"

Even though she received the answer she had wholeheartedly expected, she still looked at the little blue plus sign in disbelief. She was going to be a mother. Barnaby was going to be a father. They were going to have a _family._ She idly wandered from the bathroom, taking a deep breath as he questioned her.

With a small smile, she looked up. "Congratulations… papa."

At those two words, he was grinning widely before he could stop himself and pulled her into a hug again, lifting her up off her feet a moment before setting her back down and holding her close. He laughed against her dark hair.

"I can't believe it… I'm…going to be a father!"

He laughed again as he pulled back, small tears of joy in his eyes. He felt like shouting it across the rooftops until he ran short of breath. He felt like telling anyone and everyone that he was going to be a father and that he loved his wife more than anyone in the universe. Nothing bad existed in the world at this moment: no criminals, no conspirators, no syndicates…everything was wonderful. Hands on either side of Tomoe's face, he leaned down and kissed her before pausing to gaze at her with unrestrained warmth and love in his eyes.

A small, pleased squeal escaped her as she's picked high off the ground by her husband and hugged tightly. His excitement finally passed onto her, nodding quickly as joyous tears grew fat at the corners of her eyes and streamed down her cheeks, her smile widening until she was laughing happily. She kissed him over and over, nuzzling against him and trembling with excitement.

"Yes, yes, you are, Barnaby… God I love you so much." She murmured through half sobs, continuing to spout her love to him repeatedly.

He held her close again, petting her hair to calm her down a little, though he was still as jittery from excitement as she was.

"Tomoe Brooks, I love you more than anything in the universe." He kissed her again, wanting to prolong the contact to try and convey at least part of the love that grew boundless in his heart.

Taking in lungfuls of air one after another, she finally managed to calm down enough to stop the flow of tears. Now was the next step — setting up a doctor's appointment, and the ones to follow after; decide if they would tell friends and family now, or later, if they'd find out the gender, names to pick out. Oh damn she felt dizzy — and now she was succumbing to the darkness of her quickly unconscious body.

His eyebrows rose as she swayed before fainting. Catching her so she didn't collapse, he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the lounge chair in the living room. Setting her down, he brushed a few locks away from her face and smiled gently, chuckling to himself.

"So happy that she fainted, huh…?" He kissed her forehead and returned to the kitchen to eat his breakfast.

She woke a few hours later, groggy eyed and still a tad dizzy, her hand immediately coming to meet her forehead as it throbbed. She groaned, shifting to let her feet become accustomed to the floors.

Barnaby however, wasn't too far off. He was busy on his computer, again. She shuffled around to find him laying out on the bed, crawling over to meet him — collapsing with an arm around his waist.

"Nn…"

He glanced over his shoulder as she came shuffling in, still looking a bit groggy. He smirked in mild amusement as she crawled over to join him, fwumping down with an arm around his waist. He petted her head a little, fingers combing through dark strands."Feeling any better?"

"Not really… I have a headache." She sighed, finally rolling onto her side and balling up to herself. "This is going… to be the longest nine months of my life." Speaking at the right moment ironically, she lunged from the bed quickly, sprinting to the bathroom for another bout of sickness.

When her wretches had eased up a moment, she finally had the time to complain in a loud groan. "I hate this already…"

He blinked as she sprinted off to the bathroom, door slamming shut behind her. When she fell silent and complained, he sighed, the sound half a chuckle.

"That won't last the whole time, Tomoe. It'll pass."

Returning like that of a zombie, she collapsed on the bed once more; kicking her pants off and crawling under the blankets.

"Yeah after the first trimester." She grumbled, wrapping her arm around his waist again, idly watching him work while not fully paying attention to what was on the screen. "Sometimes it doesn't even go away for some women…" She hoped she wasn't in that quarter percentage. She'd definitely be a sobbing, tired, cranky mess if she were. All she wanted to do was curl up to the heat of her husband, and ignore the nausea in the pit of her gut. "Barnabyyyyyyy" Ah those incessant mood swings already hitting her with the influx of changing hormones.


	3. 5 weeks

"I'm sure that won't happen to you." When she whined his name, he sighed in amusement again, closed his computer and set it aside before turning to her. Work could wait; he'd finish it while she was sleeping or something. Sweeping her hair back from her face, he smiled again.

"I'm here. What do you need?" He knew her hormones were likely already starting to fluctuate; he just hoped he'd be able to read her moods correctly. From the research he'd done, her mood could change instantaneously and without reason—the best thing would be for him to try and adapt as much as possible.

Tomoe's head rested against his abdomen, letting out a relieved sigh. Albeit her want to be near him, she felt bad that he'd been distracted from his work because of her whining; only clinging tighter to him in apology.

This headache was only becoming more problematic, her temper shortening by the minute; deciding it best to maybe get some more sleep before she flipped, especially after only a few hours of this tiring morning.

"I think I'll try to nap, leave you to get back to work…" She mumbled, pressing a kiss to his stomach, keeping her arm latched around him for comfort and protection. Something about knowing she was carrying another life in her made her feel vulnerable — made her want to stick closer to Barnaby for some kind of protection than ever before.

He petted her head a bit more, smiling in appreciation at her thoughtfulness. "All right." Noticing that she still kept an arm around him, he chuckled quietly.

"I'll be right here." As she dozed off, he picked up his computer again, making sure to keep the screen's light low and the keystrokes as soft as possible. It took him longer, being so careful, but he didn't mind. The work would still get done, and he didn't want to wake her up.

The soft, constant keystrokes, his steady breathing and soft pets along her hair lulled her into sleep. She didn't realize she was as tired as she suddenly was. Her 'nap' turned into an almost all day slumber; only wakening when a more pleasant aroma of food drifted into the room. God she was hungry.

She stumbled into the kitchen, catching Barnaby making himself a meal. What time _was_ it? She glanced at the digital clock on the stove — wow, was it that late already? She sighed, pushing her hair back from her face, striding over to her husband who didn't seem to notice her presence until she reached for a cupboard beside him.

"Smells good, what are you making?" She asked, reaching for a glass while simultaneously turning on the tap; beginning to fill the cup with water.

He was cooking himself some dinner after returning from a short trip to the office. He'd asked his boss if it was possible to reduce his work hours after explaining the situation; luckily, his boss had agreed, though he'd tried to guilt-trip Barnaby a little by saying that his ranking might start slipping because of this. He'd simply shrugged and replied that he didn't care; his wife was going to have a child, how could ranking be important in comparison?

He glanced over as he saw her open a cabinet, fetching a glass and filling it with tap water. Leaning over a moment, he kissed her cheek and smiled. "Good evening, Sleeping Beauty. I'm just making some pasta." He'd decided that, if she woke up in time for dinner, he didn't want to be experimenting with anything unfamiliar. "Are you hungry?"

She nuzzled her cheek into the gesture, smiling softly as she began to gulp back her water, standing by his side and just staring at the pot of pasta, the sauce that cooked on another burner and she almost began to drool. "I'm starving, oh my God." She rested her hand on his lower back, caressing him affectionately, whining excitedly as she continued to inhale the sweet smell wafting from the pots. She brought her hand to her mouth, biting down on a digit and looked up at him with large, muddy hues, cheeks stained pink. "Bunny makes the best food~" Tomoe cooed, pressing a kiss to his arm.

He laughed at her reply and watched with a smirk as she stared at the food, almost drooling over it. He returned the kiss on the top of her head. "I'm glad you think so—and I'm glad you're hungry, too. I was a little worried, since you slept through lunch and didn't have any breakfast."

Adding a few more herbs to the sauce, he checked on the pasta and stirred it a bit before turning off the burner. Turning on the faucet again and placing a large strainer under the spray, he put on a pair of oven mitts before picking up the pot and carefully pouring the water and pasta into the strainer. Setting the pot down, he removed the mitts and shook the strainer underneath the tap's water to cool the pasta. Putting the strainer full of pasta on top of a dish towel to protect the counter, he turned back to the sauce and stirred it. Scooping up a bit of sauce into the wooden spoon, he blew on it a little to cool it off and held it out to Tomoe. "Here. It needs an expert's judgement."

"Ah… I don't know I'm just really tired now." She moved from his path, avoiding an upset with a hot pot. Her stomach rumbled impatiently, and, moving to the fridge she rooted around and grabbed a few baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and grapes, munching on them while she waited. However she eagerly opted to taste his creation, licking the spoon clean.

"Mmnn, I've taught you well." She praised, turning to rinse and wash the spoon, before handing it back to him. "I was thinking…" She began, popping a grape in her mouth, not finishing her sentence until she'd swallowed. "That I'll have to give Dr. Conaway a call after we're finished eating, so we can set up an appointment." She turned to him, giving a small look as if to ask if that were fine.

"What do you think, Bunny?"

As he stirred the sauce again, he nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Turning off the burner underneath the small pot of sauce, he opened another cabinet and pulled out two plates. Dishing out a serving of pasta and sauce for each of them, he handed one to Tomoe, a fork following shortly after. "If you want any more, just let me know."

She thanked him with a quick kiss to his cheek, turning to the table with her meal, immediately beginning to eat — she never felt so hungry, ever. She'd already half finished her plate by the time Barnaby had even begun to poke at his, but with a flip of her stomach, she decided that maybe slowing down a bit would be better off in the long run. She savored the flavor, balling both her hands into fists, grinning and voicing her satisfaction.

"I love it when you cook Bunny~ You spoil me." She continued to fidget in her chair, small pleased whines still escaping her as she continued to eat.

He laughed again, expression simultaneously shy and pleased as he glanced away for a moment, a light flush on his cheeks. "It's just pasta…but, you're welcome."

He took another bite, chuckling to himself as he saw how happy she was. They continued to eat in companionable silence. Noticing that her hand was resting idly on the table, he placed his own over it with a warm smile.

"Mm but you make it so good~" Finishing up the last bite from her plate, she pushed back from her chair, dragging her hand up his arm fondly as she passed by to get another plateful. Her stomach still felt a little empty, so she felt she could at least take on another half serving; she was eating for two after all.

Sitting back down, she managed to tangle her fingers with his again. Absentmindedly poking at the noodles, she shifted her foot forward, rubbing it against his. She let her gaze shift away from his as she finally took a starting bite into her second plate; guiding her foot up and down his calf.

"Well, thank you. What few things I can cook, I try to make them well." He'd finished his own plate, but wasn't hungry enough to warrant getting a second serving. So he just set his fork down, taking a sip from his glass of rosé wine. He choked just a little when her foot started moving up and down his calf. The faintest tinge of pink suffused his face and he took another sip of wine to try and cover up his reaction.

For a fraction of a second her smirk appeared, fading once more to a feigned expression of cluelessness. Soft, pink tiers wrapped around the silver metal, prolonging the contact, slowly pulling the fork back from between her lips; tongue darting out a moment after to lick across those same tiers.

"Something wrong, _Bunny?_' She purred, noticing the small choke, then flush that came to his face, and the way he tried to hide it by sipping his wine. Eyebrows rose gently, foot stroking near his knee now.

His blush darkened when he glanced up at her toying with her fork, and he glanced at the table. "N-No…" He cleared his throat and tried for a steadier voice. "No, I'm fine." He tried to ignore the foot now dancing around his knee, but it was becoming more and more difficult to do so.

"Cutie." Blinking once, her more crude and teasing side faded, returning to a more normal smile, hand squeezing his gently; her foot returning to slide between his and rest. Looking down at her half eaten meal, she sighed and leaned back. She was definitely full now, and that meant she had to make that phone call. Guiding herself around the table, she pressed a kiss to the blonde's temple, scraping her plate into the nearby compost bin; leaving it in the sink.  
She flipped through a list of numbers she kept on hand, glancing at the time and deciding it better to call him at home since he wouldn't be at the office. She'd known Dr. Conaway for a very long time, they'd even become close friends. She held the receiver between her shoulder and ear, dialing in the number, listening to the ringing.

His blush started to fade as she stood and kissed his temple, and he smirked at his own nervousness; it reminded him of when he'd asked Tomoe out for the first time. Taking his own plate and glass to the sink, he leaned back against the counter again as he watched her call Dr. Conaway. Part of him wondered if it'd be a good time to call him, but then he remembered that Tomoe had become close friends with him over the years and shrugged to himself.

A short relieved breath escaped her when he answered, her heart beginning to race now in excitement. Blurting out the news to him almost immediately, the smile that tugged on her lips grew wider, her eyes reflecting her heart's excitement, turning to look at Barnaby a moment.

"Oh yes, he's taking it very well, he's just as excited if not more excited than me." She turned back to look at the small holographic video, beginning to answer the questions that were aimed at her. After about twenty minutes of talking the call ended, Tomoe sighing.

"The appointment's next week, Dr. Conaway advises and insists that you come along too." She smiled with tired eyes, moving to him to wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head against him.

He watched as Tomoe talked with the doctor; when she blurted out the news, he couldn't help the wide smile that spread over his face. He could kind of guess what Dr. Conaway's questions were, but waited for Tomoe to hang up and tell him the gist of it. He returned the gesture, arms looped around the middle of her back and chin resting atop her head. "Of course I will. I'll call Mr. Lloyds tomorrow and tell him."

She nuzzled into his warmth, sighing happily. This was probably the second best decision she's ever made; after marrying Barnaby, of course. She took a glance at the engagement ring and wedding band fitted around her third finger, scrunching her hand into the material of his shirt a moment after.

"That sounds good… I'm gonna go take out my contacts annnnd head off to bed again. I'm sorry I'm so boring tonight, hun." She stretched in his embrace, pulling him forward into a kiss, hands lingering with his and not wanting to let go. "Babe, it's been a long day, you've done nothing but work and take care of me… come to bed."


	4. 6 weeks

He shook his head. "You're not boring at all." He returned the kiss and smiled gently after she pulled away. "Hm…sounds like a plan." He'd already finished the work for the day anyway, plus some that wouldn't need to be done until two or three days later. When he'd finally put his computer away, he'd had a minor headache from staring at the computer screen for so long. Getting a good night's sleep sounded like a wonderful idea.

"Good," She smiled, tugging him along with her back to the bedroom. She parted from him to go to the bathroom; finding her contact solution, contact case and her glasses case, pulling them from the cupboard and setting them on the sink. She proceeded in removing her contacts like every night, checking them for scratches or tears, washing them with solution and storing them.

For a moment the world was a blur as she felt around for her glasses, slipping them on to sit on the bridge of her nose. She hated wearing her glasses — she was always teased about it; that's why she made the switch to contacts. She stripped the shirt and bra she was wearing, tossing it onto the pile of dirty clothes in the hamper; sighing and muttering about having to do laundry tomorrow. A quick slip from the bathroom and she managed to get to the closet without Barnaby seeing her glasses — or any of her front for that matter — fetching out a sheer but not completely see-through nightgown and slipping it on quickly.

Now she was forced to turn around. Every night it was the same thing; he'd see her with her glasses on and start dropping compliments like atom bombs. By this point her face would go red even before he saw her. Inhaling deeply, she turned around, looking down and inspecting the nightgown instead of looking directly at her husband. Then a thought crossed her mind. She's going to get big, inevitably, she didn't care — but, would Barnaby care? Would he see her differently? She balled her fists into the sheer ends of the fabric, biting down on her lip to hide the frown that threatened to show.

He glanced over his shoulder, a bit surprised when she maneuvered so he couldn't see the front of her until she slipped on a nightgown of somewhat translucent black fabric. When she hesitantly turned around, clutching the lower hem and biting her lip, he let a warm, loving smile spread across his face. Crossing the room, he took her hands away from the fabric and intertwined their fingers as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

He could pretty much guess what her train of thought was; when, later on, the swell of her midriff started to show, she was concerned that he might see her differently. Letting out a half-chuckle, half-sigh, he met her gaze. "You look stunning… And you always will."

She looked up at him, brows furrowing, lip beginning to quiver as fat tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. How could he just read her so easily? How could such simple words she heard every day simply push her over the edge? Her cheeks began to stain with small saline trails, that which fell faster as her body was wracked with sobs, clinging to him tightly; hiccuping softly between each cry.

The stress of the past month and a half came to realization now, settling in. They were going to have a baby — _a baby_ — that is a huge responsibility and even with him at her side, always, would they be able to do it? Could they put up with each other through the stress, the short tempers, the arguments they were bound to have; it _scared_ her.

"Barnaby, I'm _scared_…"

Worry furrowed his brow when she started to cry, and he pulled her close into a tight hug as she clung to him, petting her hair and kissing the top of her head. "Hey…hey, it's okay." She was probably scared of all the new responsibilities and the arguments that might arise during the next nine months. To be honest, it scared him too. He loved her so much; he didn't want her to ever start doubting that for a second. "Shh…it'll be all right. …I'm scared too, but we'll get through it together, okay?"

Having her glasses to see didn't serve much purpose as she was blinded by her own tears, which fell to his shirt and absorbed quickly into the dark material. She didn't want to let him go, ever. She gave a soft cough after inhaling too sharply, hiccuping again a second later.

"I love you… I love you Barnaby." She managed to blurb out shakily, her own knees becoming very weak from under her. Her stomach became queezy with all this mixture of emotion, pushing him away gently to stumble over to the bed, laying down and curling up to herself with a groan and a sniffle.

He watched her, worry still in his expression as she curled up on the mattress. Getting into bed beside her, he hugged her gently from behind, chin resting on her shoulder now. He pressed a quick kiss behind her ear, murmuring soothingly to try and get her to calm down. "I love you too, Tomoe. Always have, always will."

"Mmn…nn" She nodded in agreement, a few stray tears running down her cheeks. Resting her arms along his which wrapped around her, she took a moment to remove her glasses, tossing them in frustration; but was soon lulled to sleep by his quiet murmuring.

He smiled again as she relaxed and succumbed to sleep. Pulling the sheet over both of them, he put down his own glasses on the bedside table before edging close behind her again. His arm shifted to rest loosely across her; in all likelihood she'd be sick again in the morning, and he didn't want to impede her from getting out of bed. With a quiet sigh, he let himself drift off into sleep.

The morning was pleasant for once. She wasn't immediately sick, but that upset feeling in the pit of her stomach still resided. Barnaby must have covered her after she drifted off. Clasping his hand tightly, she thumbed over his wedding band which glinted with the little amount of light filtering into the room. She took this quiet opportunity to roll over and hug against him tightly, loving the heat that just radiated from his almost nude body. He must've woken in the middle of the night to strip himself down to his boxers; it was after all beginning to near summer.

He woke slowly as he felt a familiar form hug him. Shifting a little, he opened his eyes just enough to see Tomoe's smiling face and mirrored the expression sleepily. He combed a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. "Good morning, Tomoe. Are you feeling all right?"

"Mm, yeah, better this morning so far." She smiled brightly to reassure him, kissing the crook of his neck. "I probably just needed to get all that crying out of my system." She admitted sheepishly, cheeks flushing anew.

"I guess we're back to the same old dragging ourselves out of bed after a half hour of cuddling, ne?"

He chuckled. "No harm in that. Ah; yes, I suppose so." He couldn't really help if he didn't want to move; it was just so warm and comfortable lying there with Tomoe that he never wanted it to end. He held her close, but carefully; he was afraid that if he hugged her too hard, he might aggravate her slight nausea.

"Good~" She mewled through her groggy voice, assuming their morning cuddle position — arms wrapped tightly around his ribs, on leg hooked around his and her head under the crook of his chin. "Because I don't think I could ever give up this sort of morning ritual."

He laughed as she clung to him and settled in a bit, hand running through her hair again. "I don't think I could either." He closed his eyes, not to go back to sleep, but to enjoy the tranquility of their morning together. The utter calmness of the moment seemed to permeate down to his bones, and he let out a quiet sigh.

"Hey… Barnaby…?" She spoke softly, nuzzling closer after, as if hiding in embarrassment that her voice had become so quiet. When he'd turned his attention down to her, she pressed a kiss to his lips, rubbing his arm gently. "I think, that you'll be a great dad," She smiled, expression suddenly turning sour as she rolled over and sprinted to the bathroom.

What a routine alright.

He looked down as she spoke, smiling with a light flush at her statement—though the smile was quickly replaced with surprise and then understanding as she bolted for the bathroom and slammed the door shut again. This was the way it would be for a while, and it was only the first of trials…but he loved Tomoe more than anyone in existence, and he wouldn't let a few difficult days or arguments get in their way. So, he waited patiently, sitting up on the mattress and leaning his forearms on his knees.

She returned a few moments later, toothbrush being methodically worked around her mouth; annoyed.

"I reary kno how tah ruin da mood now, dohn't I?" She hissed to herself, avoiding spitting toothpaste foam from her mouth as she spoke; giving Barnaby an apologetic look. She disappeared into the bathroom once more to spit away the contents in her mouth; returning once again.

"I'm sorry, Barnaby."

He tossed his legs over the side of the bed and stood, approaching her and intertwining their fingers again, resting his forehead against hers with a smile. "It's fine. You can't exactly help it, right?"

"Ah, no… but this is throwing off such a fine tuned routine for me." She frowned, playing with his fingers. She pressed up against him, leaning her head against his chest — listening to his heartbeat; and soon within the next couple of weeks, they'd be hearing another heartbeat.

"You probably have things to do, so I'll let you do them. I'll get washed up and dressed, and come make you breakfast, okay?"


	5. 6 & 7 weeks

He held her close for another long moment before kissing the top of her head and pulling back. "Thanks, Tomoe. I will, but if you need any help, just ask." Parting ways, her eyes lingered on him as he left the room, turning to her wardrobe and pulling out a cocktail length summer dress, and clean undergarments; trotting off to the bathroom. She ran her hand through her hair, cringing and deciding it was definitely time to have a bath, and quickly dropping her clothes, she began to wander her way to the tub — a side glance at the full length mirror that hung on the wall making her stop dead.

She placed a hand on her stomach — on what seemed already like a small forming bump. She must be crazy from the recent surge and change in her hormones; she couldn't already be getting bigger. However out of the slight anxious feeling in the bottom of her stomach, she took a detour to the scale, and stepped on.

"No." She mumbled, focusing on the tiny number, even without her glasses. She couldn't have possibly put on a few pounds already — she had fine tuned her diet, she _didn't_ gain weight; and she had thought over the various ways that she would gain weight with the baby that wouldn't cause her panic. This early on and she shouldn't be starting to gain more than a few ounces here and there — but three and a half pounds? _How much has she been eating?_

She shook her head, redirecting herself to the original route to the tub and filling it. She has to be crazy, has to be. She slipped into the warm water, mumbling to herself.

"It must be just because I don't have my glasses on… yeah… no glasses."

He shuffled into the living room after retrieving his glasses from the bedside table, pausing to yawn and comb a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. Rubbing both palms over his face to wake himself up a bit more, he put his glasses on and reached for his cell phone. He was only on call today and didn't have to come in to the office, so he dialed Mr. Lloyd's number and, after the other picked up, told him about the appointment with Dr. Conaway next week. Mr. Lloyds said it'd be added to the schedule and that he'd be given a day off, only to be called in case of an absolute emergency. Thanking him, Barnaby hung up, just in time to see Tomoe walking into the room. "I just called Mr. Lloyds, and he said it's all right. He's given me the day off."

After dressing herself for the day, she combed through her still wet hair lightly, tying it in a knot within itself; shuffling into the living room, just as Barnaby had finished talking on the phone.

"Ah, that's good." She smiled, fiddling with a loose, wet strand. "What do you want for breakfast, cutie?" She shuffled further over to him, kissing his cheek gently, a little self conscious about her stomach; a hand resting there.

His arms slipped loosely round her waist, and he mirrored the gesture, kissing her forehead. "Hmm, nothing fancy." He'd already decided against eggs for a little while; the smell of them had likely been what sent her fleeing to the bathroom the other day. "Maybe just bacon and toast."

"Bacon and toast it is then." She hummed, walking into the kitchen, putting herself to work; opting out of making herself any as her stomach still churned unpleasantly and that trick of her mind earlier — it left her paranoid. After about fifteen minutes she was returning with his plate, handing it to him with his cup of tea, just the way he liked it. She lay down on the chair beside him, letting her mind wander to nowhere in particular as she sighed.

He thanked her with a warm smile as she handed him his breakfast, enjoying her company as he started to eat. He glanced over mid-bite at her sigh, worry flashing in his expression, but when he saw nothing amiss in her expression, he returned to his food. Only when he was left with his tea did he nudge her shoulder slightly. "Everything all right?" He knew he was likely worrying over nothing, but better safe than sorry.

"Hmm?" She was dragged from her pleasant thoughts when his voice stirred her with that concerned tone, and a light jab to match. "Yeah, I'm alright." Reaching a hand over to his arm, she rubbed the skin soothingly. "Why do you ask?" She sat up from her chair, quickly hurrying to the kitchen for a few snacks to munch on. She didn't want a whole meal really, just some things here and there to nibble at.

He waited until she returned from the kitchen before he replied. "Just wondering what the sigh was for." He glanced down at her as she sat beside him again, trying to figure out what might be the problem. Was she still feeling sick? Doubtful, when she'd gone to get a few things to snack on. Was there something she was worried about? If so, he wondered what it might be. Or…had he somehow done something wrong? He tried not to let the worry show on his face too much at that thought.

"Oh, I was just drifting off in the moment." She mumbled through a full mouth. "Don't worry about it…" She smiled after clearing her throat, kissing him on the side of his mouth. She sat down for a moment drifting into thought for a moment. The apartment needed to be cleaned; chores to be done. They could wait for a bit, she just wanted to relax, like things seemed to be doing for the last few days.

"Ahhh I have to clean~" She groaned, scratching the side of her head. "Guess I'll start in the kitchen."

His slight tension eased almost immediately, and he smiled again. Her last statement reminded him that, indeed, their apartment needed to be cleaned. He'd forgotten about it in the whirl of excitement. "I'll start in the bathroom, then." He kissed her temple and gathering up his dishes to take into the kitchen.

She was slightly surprised by his offer — it's not like he hadn't helped her with chores before or didn't want to, he was usually so busy that he couldn't, and that didn't bother Tomoe at all; so the help was greatly appreciated.

"Thank you Bunny." She hummed happily, almost leaping on him when they both stood. "Have fun~" She sung, heading towards the kitchen.

Glancing around, she knew the obvious things — dishes, counter tops, wiping down the fridge, reorganizing it. Then there was the stove top, and the floors. She sighed, half wishing she hadn't worn this dress right this moment.

Running the tap and grabbing a dish cloth as well as the soap and a sponge she began to fill the sink — using the time it took to begin wiping down the counters with sponge in hand; humming quietly to herself.

He chuckled as she hugged him in thanks, following her down the hall a bit before turning and entering the bathroom through their bedroom. He made a mental list of what needed to be done: scrubbing down the sink, toilet, and bath area, as well as cleaning the floor and polishing the mirrors. Taking a second to tie back his hair, he retrieved the necessary equipment from the cabinet under the sink and decided to take care of the toilet first.

As he worked, he found a random song playing through his mind, giving him a rhythm to go on and making the work go a bit faster.

The dishes were done in silence, left to dry as she moved onto her other tasks, which hadn't taken her as long as she'd thought. With a sigh, she wiped her forehead and stepped back, observing the kitchen. Her stomach was still bothering her, and she wondered if she should continue doing anymore housework — there was just so much to do.

Silently smacking her mouth, she realized how dry her mouth was. She turned to the fridge and pulled out some lemonade she'd made just the other day, retrieving two glasses and filling the two — bringing one to Barnaby.

"Here, I thought you might be thirsty,"

When she walked in, he was engrossed in scrubbing down the last few inches of the bathtub. Sitting back on his heels, he turned as she spoke and smiled gratefully, taking the glass from her. "Thanks." He took a sip before speaking again. "How's the kitchen coming?"

Taking a small sip of her own, she thought a moment. "Just have to mop the floor, other than that I'm done." Tomoe mused, taking another sip of her drink, eyes wandering over and loving just how clean the bathroom was. "Thank you for helping, Bunny."

**—**

Tomoe and Barnaby were busily scurrying around the room, trying to gather everything they needed before leaving for the appointment with Dr. Conaway. Piling into the car, she sighed, eyes still heavy and protesting more sleep; perhaps she'd get a few minutes on the drive there.

Gathering up the last few things he thought they might need, he left them in the back of his car and got into the driver's seat. Glancing over and seeing how tired she was, he smirked a little as he started the engine. "Catch a bit of sleep on the way over, Tomoe. You still look a little worn out." As he backed out of the parking space and headed out of the lot, he affirmed to himself that he'd be the safest driver in Sternbild for the next nine months.

Tomoe was instantaneously out the moment he permitted her to sleep; falling into that REM state quickly, coupled with that sensation of obscured time, waking up about a half hour later to what seemed like just a few seconds. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up mumbling something about wanting just a few more minutes.

"We're here already…?" Stretching and arching, she bundled all of her things together, opening the car door and planting her first foot onto the ground.

He cut the engine, now parked in front of Dr. Conaway's office, and looked over as Tomoe woke up. "Yeah, we are. You can sleep a bit more when we're back at home." He left a quick kiss on her cheek before getting out and retrieving the things he'd left in the backseat. Shutting the door, he waited until Tomoe did the same before he locked the car and followed her inside, holding the door open for both of them.

They were swift to get to the appointed room; going through all the basics, more questions and a second urinary sample just to make sure — although the pregnancy was clear to them. Next was her ultrasound. Dr. Conaway rolled over in his chair, motioning Tomoe to lay down on the bed provided; Barnaby moving to the seat beside it.

"So, you finally decided to take this step, Tomoe." He was casual, pulling on a pair of gloves and reaching for the transducer probe. At this, her hand reached for Barnaby's and squeezed.

"Yeah, we did." She smiled, watching him begin to slather on some of the clear gel to the end and rolling back over.

"Alright," He smiled, "I'll have you just lift your shirt a bit there…" The brunette did as told, lifting the material to reveal the pale skin of her stomach, shivering when the cool jelly made contact. It quickly warmed there after as he began moving it around just below her navel; both her and Barnaby's attention being drawn to the monitor.

Suddenly her heart was racing. Excitement, anticipation, worry, and that scared feeling all coming together, but she was relieved as he finally spoke.

"Annnd, there they are."

"Really? Wher- wait, _'they'?_" She looked at him, completely in shock. 'They', as in more than one? She must have misheard him.

"Yup! Baby number one is here…" He pointed to the screen, adjusting the position of the probe after they examined a moment and pointing again, "And baby number two, congratulations."


	6. 7 & 14 Weeks

As he sat down beside her in the ultrasound room, a sudden thrill of nervousness started in the pit of his stomach. He was reassured a little by Tomoe's grasp on his hand, but nevertheless, the nervousness increased as they both looked to the monitor. His heart beat faster, and he was nearly overcome with a whirl of different emotions. The tense silence was broken when the doctor spoke; Barnaby froze at the word "they".

Wait, what? "They", as in…plural? As in…more than one? This revelation was confirmed by Dr. Conaway's answer, and his hands started shaking. Two… They were going to have twins.

He didn't blink for a long moment, eyes glued in disbelief to the screen. A short huff of shocked laughter escaped him, and before he really realized it, a huge smile was spread across his face. He laughed again, the sound more awed and excited than anything, and he pressed a kiss to the top of Tomoe's hand, brushing a few stray locks from her face. He couldn't stop smiling, his expression full of the most warmth and happiness he'd felt since the day Tomoe said yes.

Bringing her opposite hand to her mouth which had broken into a crooked smile, tears began to flow from her eyes that didn't seem to want to stop. She was incredibly happy. Not only were they to have one child, but now two? Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest. Her eyes were kept on the screen, half listening to Dr. Conaway's explanation of 'the black circles are the fetuses.' and how they had already developed arms and legs, and organs too.

"T-Those are our children, Barnaby… our babies…" She choked out, laying her head down to lose control of her emotions and sob. Amidst her sobs, Dr. Conaway turned to Barnaby to speak, since speaking to Tomoe was a little out of the question.

"She seems to be approximately seven weeks along, her first trimester will end at around twelve weeks. I suggest that you make an appointment between then and fifteen weeks." He smiled, "Would you like a picture of the ultrasound?"

He kept petting Tomoe's hair as he listened to Dr. Conaway's explanation and advice. He nodded in understanding, and then nodded again in answer to his question. "Yes…definitely." As Dr. Conaway left the room for a moment to take care of it, Barnaby turned back to Tomoe and kissed her forehead, still clasping her hand. There was nothing that needed to be said in this moment, so he stayed silently with her, jolting out of it when Dr. Conaway entered the room again.

Eventually she calmed down, albeit a few blubbed and hiccuped cries that came from her. She reached out for tissues that sit on the counter beside her, wiping the gel from her skin, crawling onto his lap and hugging him tightly, not breaking the contact even when Dr. Conaway came back.

"Here are your prints, and congratulations, Tomoe, Barnaby." He smiled, handing over the small envelope with the photos.

**—**

The weeks passed, and so did another appointment. By now Tomoe was used to the thought of having her midriff gradually enlarge, her stomach only beginning to show that bump minutely — but even so, it was enough for Barnaby to take notice and sometimes become a puddle of mush over her; gushing and rubbing her small bump.

He was in a blissful state everywhere he went. His fans were gushing more than usual over his looks—saying he seemed to be "sparkling" and the like—and for the first time, he found himself slightly impatient to be done with work so he could return home. It worked wonders for his score: he was gaining more and more points by working as quickly and efficiently as possible on the scene. He was excited, and yet he was nervous as a rabbit in a dog-yard at the same time.

Sometimes, he wondered if he was being _too _affectionate…but he couldn't really help it. His parents had brought him into the world, and now he was going to be a parent himself. He knew that, if his parents were still alive, they'd be proud of him—and that thought, almost more than any other, made the space in his heart left after that fateful Christmas lessen just a little.

She was happy to be able to watch Barnaby work so enthusiastically. Always snacking on something or multiple somethings while watching over the large screen of the TV; grinning widely and always, always cheering him on, and of course commentating a play-by-play to the twins on what their father was achieving day-to-day.

But when he walked through that door, she'd gotten into her old schedule: dinner ready, helping him with his coat and boots, a kiss and asking him about his day when not on TV. Today was just like the rest. Poking at some of her vegetables, she looked up to Barnaby.

"Ne, Bunny… when do you think we should start picking out names?"

He was in mid-bite when she asked this question. Setting his fork down, he recalled the half-dozen or so name sites he had bookmarked on his computer and wondered if they should invest in a few naming books as well. He shrugged a bit in response. "To be honest, I'm not sure either. Do you have any ideas?" He supposed it wouldn't hurt to at least start a list; they could trim it down at a later date. He could think of a few, but he was wondering if she wanted to include some names from her own heritage.

"Well… maybe if we think of names we like from here on out we can just write them down on a piece of paper, and combine them later. Of course for both genders, just in case, y'know?" Finally she took the bite she'd been toying with, chewing it thoughtfully. "I mean if we have a girl, you can name her… she will after all, love her daddy like no other."

He took a sip of rosé wine and swallowed before replying, a sheepish yet amused smile on his face. He chuckled aloud as he spoke. "Sounds like a plan." He let a measure of silence stretch between them, taking another bite before speaking again. "Did you have any ideas for names? Maybe we can start the list now."

"Ah, no actually, I haven't given any thought yet in all this excitement…" She admitted sheepishly before taking a drink of her own. "I mean there's a lot of other things to do too, right?" She pushed her plate back, satisfied with two and a half plates of food to fill her.

"I don't know… I'm going to go lay down for a bit… my back is killing me." She frowned, getting up and rinsing her dishes off.

He smiled and shook his head a little bit to dismiss her apology. "It's all right. We do indeed have a lot of other things to do." He followed as she got up, taking his own empty plate to the sink. Hearing her decision, he kissed her cheek and gently moved her hands away from the dishes. "Go on and lie down; get some rest. I'll take care of these."

She nodded, her slow pace leading her to the bedroom eventually where she stripped off her socks and slipped under the covers easily. She didn't drift off immediately like she normally did; instead opting to watch Barnaby clean up quietly from her spot in their room. She admired him greatly, always noticing a small smile on the curve of her lips when she was around him. She remembered the day he proposed, leaving her so in shock that her delay in answer had worried him to the point of mild anxiety and embarrassment; but after that he could clearly see how happy she was when she practically tackled the man in tears and chants of 'yes'.

And now things were going that one step further — but she wouldn't dwell on that thought for too much longer, her eyes were getting heavy even though she refused to close them, just for a chance to watch her husband peacefully.

He started on the dishes as she shuffled off to the bedroom, humming a small tune under his breath. At least one of his colleagues would probably think it "unmanly" for him to enjoy housework like this, but he found the repetitive, methodical motions soothing. It let him think about other things, and was often a good outlet when his mind was in a less-than-peaceful state.

By the time he was finished, the plates, glasses, silverware, and cookware set out on racks and towels to dry, Tomoe was fast asleep on the bed. Another smile appeared on his face, and he took a moment to dry his hands before crossing into the bedroom and adjusting the blanket over her, leaving a quick, light kiss on her temple before he left the room.

He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, starting up his computer to work on a few things from the office as well as fleshing out his personal research on all the recommended steps that Dr. Conaway had suggested they take.  
It was in the small hours of the morning when Barnaby drifted off by accident on the couch, a Notepad document still open. It was simply titled "Names", separated into a "Boy" and "Girl" column. One hand still rested near the keyboard on the coffee table, and he'd only written one name in one column: "Emily".

Tomoe woke up extremely hungry — this was perhaps what had stirred her from her sleep, with each low painful churn of her stomach demanding food; but when she realized her husband was not beside her like she thought, her heart ached with panic as she shot out of bed as fast as she could, the pounding in her chest calming when her eyes spotted a curly blonde mop peeking out just above the back of his chair.

She couldn't help but smile when she rounded the chair, Barnaby sleeping peacefully with the hint of a small snore, hand still resting on his computer. _What was he doing…? Up so late last night…_She chanced a peek at the laptop's screen, reading what was displayed. A heart-wrenching feeling overwhelmed her with the one name typed there, a small sad smile forming to match that ache. "Oh… Barnaby…" She whispered to his sleeping form, petting his head gently a moment before shifting his hand onto his lap and grabbing a blanket nearby to cover him.

By the time he woke, it was already morning and he was still in the living room, lying back in the lounge chair with his glasses slightly askew on his face and his hair mussed. Sitting up with a yawn, he paused as something over him shifted. It was a blanket, and after a second he realized who must have given it to him while he was asleep. A warm smile spread over his face, and he stood from the chair, leaving the blanket on the seat for the moment.

He heard the clatter of cookware in the kitchen and followed the sound, shuffling up behind Tomoe and slipping his arms around her waist—a hand absentmindedly smoothing over the slight bump at her midriff—resting his chin on her shoulder. "Good morning. Sorry I didn't come to bed; must've dozed off by accident."

She hummed happily when strong familiar arms wrapped around her, purring happily as his hand stroked the small bump of her midsection. Her much smaller hand came to weave between his while the other stirred around a pan of fluffy golden browned scrambled eggs.

"Good morning to you too…" She turned her head back, lips seeking out his before paying mind to the pan again. "It's okay, I just got a little worried when I woke up alone…" Taking a plate she'd set out and already had a spread of food she'd finished just earlier, she spooned some of the eggs onto the plate, then some on another. "Now, eat up. You've got work today, don't you?"

He kissed her cheek and took the plate from her with another smile. "I do indeed. Thanks." He started eating, smiling past his glass of orange juice when she sat down across from him and started on her own breakfast. His plate was about half-empty when he spoke. "Don't forget, Tomoe: you can call me if anything happens, okay?" He doubted anything would, but he just wanted to be sure.

"Mm!" She nodded, chewing her breakfast quietly, with a smile. "I've got you on speed dial on both my phone and the house phone, just in case." Looking up, she excused herself, leaving for the bathroom. Damn these two already pressing on her bladder — it was a never ending battle for some sort of truce between the three.

Returning to her chair a few short minutes later with a thud and a sigh, she leaned her head back groaning. "I do wish these two would lay off my bladder. At least the next appointment with Dr. Conaway is this week."

He nodded, waiting to swallow his bite before he replied. "Good. Sorry to worry so much; I just like to be prepared." He blinked as she made a quick trip to the bathroom, chuckling at her comment after she returned. "Ah, that's another thing. Thanks for reminding me; I nearly forgot to tell Mr. Lloyds about it." He got up, empty plate in hand, and kissed her cheek before depositing the dish and silverware into the sink. He spoke again from their bedroom as he got ready to go to work, voice slightly raised so she could hear him. "Do you think he'll take an ultrasound again?"

"Uhhh, yeah I think so." Her voice too is slightly raised so that he could hear her over the sound of running water, beginning to wash up their dishes;, leaning over to kiss him goodbye when he was suddenly by her side. She smiled as he turned her to face him, squatting and running his hands up the hem of her shirt to reveal her pale tummy, kissing there as well.

"Have a good day~"

**—**

Sitting quietly in a familiar room, with familiar technology, and a familiar greeting from Dr. Conaway, Tomoe was rather anxious to see how the twin's development was going. As Dr. Conaway went through his routine questions of 'how have things been?', 'have you noticed anything different?', and the like; all while pressing and feeling her stomach for the positions of the babies and other things he wouldn't be able to tell from a simple black and white monitor.

Busily preparing the probe with the gel on the end he turned to the ultrasound monitor. "Hmm… let's see here…" he muttered, pressing down on her slightly elevated stomach, smiling. "There's number one here, looking healthy." He observed, taking a good look over before going in search of the second. "And number two seems good too!" He remarked in an almost sing-song manner, turning to both of them. "Now, it's time for me to check their heartbeats."


	7. 14 weeks con't

He was sitting near Tomoe as usual in the ultrasound room, one hand on her shoulder and a small smile on his face as Dr. Conaway went through the usual routine. They watched the monitor as the doctor checked on the twins, and then…

After Dr. Conaway had set up the necessary equipment within a few seconds, they heard it—a sound at once familiar and new. The pace of each was faster than their own pulses, but all the same…it was the sound, the proof of two new lives, quietly yet distinctly there.  
Barnaby found tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, and he clasped one of Tomoe's hands, interlacing their fingers and kissing her forehead as they listened. An awed smile spread silently across his face, giving a brilliant light to his green eyes. He couldn't take his eyes off the screen, and found his own heart was starting to keep time—albeit at a slower tempo—with the pulses over the speaker.

Albeit the louder and more prominent tone of her heartbeat; which showed just how excited and nervous she was, the low undertone of even faster paced heartbeats seemed to meld together into almost one. Squeezing his hand tighter, her chest clenched, tears forming but not falling — at least she'd been able to tame these wacky emotional highs and lows a little. She turned her head a tick to face him, kissing him eagerly and then nuzzling him gently.

"I love you, Barnaby."

He returned the kiss, smiling into it and tucking her hair behind her ear. "And I love you, Tomoe." He glanced up at Dr. Conaway, a slight tinge of apology in his expression for ignoring him, but the doctor shook his head with a kind smile.

"On the contrary, it's one of my favorite things to see the reactions of new parents," the doctor chuckled. Dr. Conaway left for a moment to take care of a bit of paperwork or something, and Barnaby kissed Tomoe's cheek. He couldn't get the smile to leave his face if he tried.

"…New parents…" She mused over the word, letting it dance over her palate to get the feel of saying the words, smiling nervously after it had settled in her mind; hand absentmindedly rubbing over her stomach.

Dr. Conaway returned after a few minutes with her file; storing it away in a filing cabinet. The doctor then handed Tomoe some tissues to wipe her belly off with, sitting down on his stool. "So, everything seems alright — two healthy looking babies at almost fourteen weeks." the physician offered a smile to the couple, leaning back against the counter casually. "I'll schedule you in for another appointment at twenty weeks — if anything seems different between then and now, just come in."

Nodding gently, Tomoe slipped from the bed, adjusting her shirt with a small sigh — her clothes were already beginning to get too small for her now larger frame. Petting her husband's head affectionately, she let a hand rest against her baby bump.

He stood as she ran a hand through his hair, arm sliding around her waist as the other took the hand that was resting over her midriff and brought it to his smiling lips. Glancing over his shoulder, he thanked Dr. Conaway as they left the room and headed back to the car. Barnaby got into the driver's seat after making sure that Tomoe didn't need any assistance getting into the front passenger seat, closing the door and smiling to his wife as he buckled his seatbelt. He'd noticed Tomoe fussing with her shirt before. "Seems like we'll need to go clothes shopping pretty soon."

With the added weight on her back and legs, moving about was already becoming a problem; getting into the car, well that was a hassle — but she managed. With a sigh, she pulled the seatbelt across her body, buckling it tight, her face beginning to flush.

"A-ah… yeah I guess it's about that time…" She mumbled, face turning an even darker red as a pout drew her lip down. "Not just for me I guess."

He glanced at her for a second as he drove out of the parking lot, chuckling quietly at her comment.

"No, not just for you. Looks like I might have to take some of the office paperwork home and ask for pay for the extra hours." He didn't really know another way to be able to pay for everything that they'd need to buy; Tomoe wouldn't be able to start work right away, and in any case, he wanted to be there for his children as much as he could…and hope that he could make up for their lack of two more grandparents.

She watched the city go by from the car window, still subconsciously rubbing along her stomach; fiddling with the hem again. Eyes watched as small drops of rain began to pitter against the windows and windshield. It surprised her, she hadn't noticed the quickly passing and darkening clouds cast over the city. Shivering and sighing, she wrapped her arms around her body — not being prepared for the sudden coldness in the midst of summer.

Or maybe she was getting sick. Her heart dropped at the thought, shifting to look at Barnaby with slightly unsettled eyes. "A-are you cold…?"

A small shiver zinged up his spine as the rain started, the chill of the approaching rainstorm permeating the car's windows. He switched on the headlights and turned the windshield wipers on their slowest setting, glancing at Tomoe for a second as she asked him if he was cold. He nodded, grateful he wasn't the only one.

"Yeah, it's getting a bit cold." When they pulled up to a stoplight, Barnaby managed to shrug out of his jacket, handing it to her with a small smile.

With a smile and a tentative reach, she accepted his jacket and laying it over her body, a frown forming. She felt bad that he now had to suffer the cooling temperatures for the rest of the trip home. Pulling out a baggie of graham crackers from his coat pocket that she'd stuffed there before they'd left, she began to munch them without thinking; a little sad when the bag was empty suddenly.

"Ah… no…" She looked up at him, innocently of course, it always got her what she wanted.

He was able to mostly shrug off the chill that was pervading the car as the rain continued. When he paused at another stoplight, he looked over as she mourned the loss of her graham crackers, actually laughing aloud at her expression before he caved with a sigh.

"Oh, all right." Her sporadic childishness was rather adorable, and that lost-puppy look of hers had never failed against him once. "Shall we stop somewhere on the way home?"

She nodded quickly, leaning against him with a sigh. "Thank you Barnaby~" mewling, she half latched to his arm, falling into a light sleep against him. She woke up as he shifted and softly pet her hair, mumbling and groaning as she sat up.

"I fell asleep again, didn't I?"

He let her sleep until they were parked in front of a grocery store. He reached over with his free hand to pet her dark hair, murmuring gently to try and wake her up. When her eyes opened, he smiled and nodded at her question.

"It's all right." He kissed her forehead in a reassuring gesture. "You need it; you're making up for two more, after all."

"Yeah, but I pass out at the most inconvenient times…" She mumbled, slowly pushing herself back up into a sitting position in the passenger's side seat. Huffing lightly, she took a moment to fix her mussed hair before opening her door and stepping onto the curb.

When her husband had come to her side, she smoothly slipped her hand with his, "Lead the way, cutie."

He chuckled at the pet name, squeezing her hand affectionately as they walked into the grocery store. They were only going to buy one thing, so Barnaby meandered through the aisles, talking with Tomoe and occasionally commenting on the things they saw. Finally arriving in the snack-food aisle, he remained outwardly calm, but he was watching her warily for any signs of sudden cravings. "Just graham crackers, right?"

Her and Barnaby were rarely out in the public eye _together_. They'd planned it this way from the start — she didn't want to cause any unnecessary attention to the both of them, especially the media's attention which would give Barnaby even more interviews to attend. So she wasn't surprised when she saw the odd glare in her direction from some curly blonde headed, low-cut top wearing hussy, or the occasional superfan.

She shuffled closer to him, giving his hand a tight squeeze as she frowned and tried to ignore the negative attention; after all it wasn't a public fact that Barnaby was even married, let alone having _children_. Approaching the snack-food aisle she looked over the many different foods, suddenly having many different cravings pop up. Her brown eyes shifted to look up at him with a small, sheepish smile; biting down on her lip.

"M-maybe some blue corn chips, and that banana-strawberry juice… and perhaps some clementines too?" She laughed nervously, glancing away from his gaze and meeting another icy scowl aimed in her direction.

He felt like kicking himself as he walked through the store hand-in-hand with Tomoe. In the haze of happiness, he'd forgotten that it wasn't publicly known that he was married, not to mention going to be a father. He acted as natural and calm as he could, though regret and the need to apologize to his wife gnawed at him all the while. There was a pang in his heart as he saw her troubled frown and felt her squeeze his hand; here he was, having proclaimed his desire to keep certain aspects of his personal life out of the public eye, and now he'd dragged his pregnant wife in among his fans. What the hell was wrong with him?

He kept these self-depracating thoughts to himself and schooled his expression into an easy smile as her list of requests grew. "All right; your wish is my command." He chuckled a bit, but didn't dare to plant the usual swift kiss on her cheek or forehead, lest he bring down a verbal or even physical attack upon Tomoe. Fetching a basket from the end of the aisle, he paused to get a few boxes of graham crackers before meandering through the rest of the store to pick up the other items she'd listed.

She followed him through the store with no complaints, glad that none of these 'fans' were coming up and making a scene. When they reached the cooler aisles with dairy products and the like, she moved even closer to him when she noticed a man with his phone out and pointed directly at them.

"Barnaby… I think he's taking pictures of us…" Her tone was a harsh whisper, tinged with a hint of worry and anxiety. She just wanted to leave, so in her haste she grabbed a large bottle of the juice she'd wanted and tossed it into the basket, turning to him. "I don't care about the other things, let's just pay for what we have and go…"


	8. 14 & 19 weeks

His hackles raised as soon as she pointed the man out to him. Turning—and refusing to release Tomoe's hand even for a moment—he walked up to the man and took the phone from out of his hand, snapping it shut. He said nothing, but gave a shallow smile while a distinct inferno of menacing protectiveness seemed to emanate from his every pore, making his green eyes lurid and sharp. Walking away to the nearest cashier's register, he paid quickly and efficiently for the few things in their basket before leaving, the man's phone still confiscated in his back pocket.

He was silent until they returned home, and he remained calm long enough to put the groceries away and pace back into the living room before his anger overwhelmed him. Snapping the other man's flip phone in half, he flung the pieces at the wall before turning to Tomoe and hugging her as tight as he dared. He was surprised to find tears in his eyes as he hid his face in her dark, sweet-scented hair. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Tomoe. It's all my fault, I didn't think…"

She yelped when Barnaby suddenly pulled her forward. His behavior was… unusual to say the least — it wasn't often that she saw him get like this, and it always made her nervous. Looking down as they made their way towards the nearest cashier, she had the mind to keep quiet even until they got home.

An unexpected second outburst had caught her off guard and made her even more uneasy, but sighed as he buried into her shoulder and apologized — as if he had done something wrong.

"No… it's not your fault, Barnaby… if I hadn't of moped for more graham crackers then we wouldn't have gotten into this mess. It's my fault." She murmured, stroking his back gently.

He pulled back enough to hush her with a kiss before resting his forehead against hers. "Don't blame yourself, Tomoe. You can't control the cravings you get while you're pregnant. It was my mistake; I should've asked you to wait in the car." He combed a hand through her hair, sighing heavily as he closed his eyes; the action made a small tear escape down his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"No, I should have known better and stayed in the car without you having to ask me to." She frowned, kissing him while she wiped away the single tear that had escaped. She wanted to just push passed this, kiss him better and tell him everything would be fine. Her lips sought out his once more, rubbing his back gently as she pushed the kiss deeper, until she was forced to part for air.

"I love you Barnaby, we can make it through this, okay?"

He would deal with this, and fast—though he would make a point of not letting Tomoe overhear. She often got uneasy when he was in a dangerous mood, and he didn't like making her uncomfortable. He would rattle a few sabers at the gossip journalists by using Apollon's name and sums of money…as well as subtly-insiuated bodily harm if necessary. He was determined, now more than ever, to keep his wife—and soon, his family—out of the press as much as possible. He hugged her close again, chin resting atop her head as he let out a sigh. "Yeah. We'll make it through this. I won't let them do _anything_ to hurt you or our children."

"I'm sure nothing bad will happen, love." She mumbled, snuggling up to his body, completely oblivious to what he was plotting in mind. After such a long and exhausting day, she just wanted to go to sleep, and now. Her body was killing her and it took all the strength she had left to hold herself up against her husband.

"Barnaby," She spoke, just as a flash of lightning split the sky, lighting up their dim apartment. The rain became heavier then, hitting harshly against the large window panes inset on the wall. "Let's go to bed…" He pulled away again and looked down. Seeing her weary state, he pushed his darker thoughts aside and smiled gently. Sweeping her up into a princess carry, he bore her to their bedroom and settled her down on her usual side of the mattress. He kissed her forehead before moving away to change into his pajamas while she did the same. Getting in beside her, he pulled the blanket over both of them and removed his glasses, setting them down on the bedside table before draping an arm over her. He let the steady patter of rain outside lull him to sleep.

Tomoe woke a few hours later. It was still dark out, raining as heavy as when she'd first fell to sleep. She sighed, rubbing her eyes and trying to shuffle to the side of the bed where their clock sat without waking the blond beside her. Turning the clock and reading the obnoxiously bright red numbers, she only sighed heavier.

"Three eleven, really?" Running a hand through her hair, the woman stood, wobbly at first as her legs weren't used to her weight after resting for some odd number of hours, managing to navigate to the kitchen with the aid of the lightning that continued to light up the entire apartment periodically. She grabbed a glass from the cupboard, filling it full to the brim; dropping it to the floor when a large, deafening clap of thunder rumbled over the city. She backed up to the corner of the counter and covered her head, wishing that she wasn't such a coward.

Tomoe had always had a fear of thunder. It was loud and overpowering, made her feel even smaller in the world than she already was. Since there were so few storms present in the city, she thought she'd be okay, that she'd never have to inform Barnaby of such a childish fear — now that could be a different story. He was usually a light sleeper, and the loud shatter of glass would no doubt wake him, but at this point she didn't care, she was scared and she didn't want to be alone.

He was startled awake by the sound of smashing glass. He didn't even need to put his glasses on to recognize that Tomoe wasn't beside him. Taking only a moment to jump out of bed and don his glasses so he could see where he was going, he rushed into the kitchen. Tomoe was crouched on the floor at one of the counter's corners, head covered by her forearms.

Barnaby was at her side immediately, hugging her close and rubbing her back in soothing circles, murmuring in a low tone near her ear. He punctuated his words occasionally with kisses to her cheek and temple. "Shh…it's all right, it's all right now. I'm here. You'll be fine now, I'm here."

Ah she'd done it. He'd woken up just as she'd predicted. She was causing him even more trouble now; he had work in the morning, and she was keeping him up, she'd stressed both of them out at the grocery store; she was a mess. All she could do was lean into him, tears trickling down her cheeks as she sobbed out apologies; gripping against her stomach tightly.

"I'm sorry, Barnaby I'm sorry…"

He shook his head immediately to wave off her apology. What did sleep matter when she was in such a state? He kissed her forehead again. "No, no, it's fine. You've nothing to apologize for." He let her hide her face against his shoulder as he buried a hand in her hair, his other arm around her shoulders. Closing his eyes, he spoke again in a calming voice. "I don't sleep well during storms either, remember? It's fine. I'm here."

She clung to his body, ashamed of being afraid. Trembling died down, but when another loud roar of thunder cracked, her shaking would start up again. Even still his presence and soothing murmurs helped. Tears dried in streaks on the apples of her face, and after a shaky breath, she grabbed his hand for support as she tried to stand.

"Ah! Ouch…!" She hissed, leaning back against him when she'd finally stood; keeping her weight off of one foot. "I think I stepped in some glass…" the brunette murmured, whimpering. She could feel the small puddle of blood her foot was resting in, deeming 'stepping in glass' an understatement.

He smiled as he helped her to her feet, but the expression was instantly replaced by surprise and worry when she hissed in pain. Upon hearing her explanation, he immediately swept her up in a princess carry and bore her into the bathroom. Setting her down on the edge of the bathtub, he fished around for bandages, hydrogen peroxide, cotton balls, and tweezers—just in case.  
Picking up and examining her foot, he searched by eye and by gentle touch for any lingering glass shards; thankfully, he found none. Turning away for just a moment, he doused a wad of cotton in hydrogen peroxide.

"This'll sting a bit, okay?" He dabbed at the cut with the damp cotton, glancing apologetically at her when she winced a little. Once he was finished cleaning the injury, he used a dry cotton ball to swipe away the red on her foot. Examining the cut again, he let out a small sigh of relief as he saw that it wasn't terribly deep or open, so they probably wouldn't have to go to a hospital and get stitches. Wrapping the area with the gauze bandages, he left a swift kiss on the top of her foot before looking up at her again, chancing a smile. "All better." He chuckled lightly. "Just don't put too much weight on it." His smile softened along with his gaze. "Looks like I'll be carrying you for a little while, princess." He kissed her cheek, laughing softly again.

She wasn't bothered too badly about the pain, she could deal with it, although his suggestion left her face darkening into a deep scarlet color, lip being brought under her teeth. "You won't be able to carry me soon, I'll be too heavy." She commented, looking away."I am coming up to fifteen weeks, after all."

Yawning and stretching, she eased herself onto the blonde's lap, wrapping her arms around him tightly, resting her face against his shoulder with a sigh. There was a bit of an awkward space between their bodies which was filled with her round stomach — but, it made her feel like all of them were connected in this moment.

He rested his forehead against hers and laughed again. "I think I'll manage." When she hugged him, his smile softened once more as he closed his eyes for a long moment. He loved this sort of connected feeling, like their love for each other was palpable, visible…like he was part of a family again.

After minute or two of peaceful silence, he swept her up in another princess carry and crossed into the bedroom, setting her down on her usual side of the mattress. Getting into bed beside her, Barnaby shifted as they both adjusted into their usual sleeping arrangement; he decided to keep a bit closer, to hug her a bit tighter, in case the thunderstorm frightened her again. Taking off his glasses and putting them on the bedside table, he kissed the back of her neck with a small smile on his face before drifting off to sleep again.

She took a few minutes to adjust into the perfect position; finding it more and more difficult to get in some sort of comforting position for her body. Sighing when she'd found that just right spot, her hand weaved with his, drifting comfortably into sleep — even through the rest of the storm which shortly died out.

**—**

"I can't believe it's been nineteen weeks." Tomoe commented, sighing as she leaned back in her chair, clad in sweatpants and a large shirt that covered her obvious bump just barely. It was still fairly early in the evening, hot as ever in Sternbild and even with the AC it was almost unbearable.

Then there was the issue of having a bath. Her hair had become sticky rather quickly, as well as her skin. She turned to her husband smiling.

"Bunny, how about we have a bath together? You, me, and the twins?"

His hair was tied up in a small ponytail to keep it off his neck. He was dressed in only a tank top and shorts, as an attempt to keep cool; even so, there was a light film of sweat on the back of his neck. The heat of the daytime had left his skin feeling uncomfortably sticky, so he was grateful for her suggestion. Smiling in reply, he nodded.

"Sounds great." He kissed her cheek before heading off to the bathroom, shedding his tank top as he went. "I'll go get it started, okay?"

She leaned into the kiss, smiling as she hoisted herself from the chair she'd been sitting on. Her pace was slower and a bit labored with the extra twenty pounds on her front, ankles and feet swelling a bit more each day. Huffing, she finally made it to the bathroom where Barnaby was running water into the tub. She stopped and leaned against the door frame, admiring the lean muscles that hugged his back, arms, and legs.

It was incredibly difficult for her to tear her chocolate pools away from admiring him, but when he'd turned back to her — no doubt from feeling hungry eyes on him for the longest time — she'd managed to pull her gaze off of him. Unbuttoning her shirt, she moved closer to him, letting the garment fall to the floor as she did. Her hands rested on his belt, flipping it open before popping the button of his shorts.

Her actions didn't go any further though; opting to let her hands run over his chest in admiration for a moment, pulling away when he had to turn off the tap.

He managed to catch her stare for just a second before she looked away, and he let out a quiet chuckle. He merely watched as she stepped closer to him, his eyes locked with hers as she unfastened his belt. His breath caught almost silently as her hand smoothed over his chest; blinking abruptly, he registered that the bath's tap had been running and reached over to shut it off. Barnaby was out of the rest of his clothes in mere moments, stepping into the warm water and settling in with a relaxed sigh. He looked up at Tomoe and cracked an inviting smile, offering a hand in case she needed help getting in.

She followed his motions, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra and then move to her pants and underwear. It sure did bring down the temperature of her body in this unusually hot August weather.

Returning his smile, she grasped his offered hand, the other steadying herself on the side of the tub as one leg came up and over the side, dipping into the water — the other following suit. Sighing contently after lowering herself into the water, she leaned back, enjoying the feeling of water against her skin.

"Mm, Bunny this is nice…"


	9. 19 weeks

His smile widened as he leaned back as well, letting the warm water ease the built-up tension in his muscles. Reaching behind his head, he pulled the hair-tie out of his blonde curls, shaking them out a bit before relaxing again. He looked across at Tomoe with half-lidded eyes, and he felt a now-familiar warmth in his chest—she looked absolutely beautiful. He told her this aloud, chuckling when she flushed in response.

His words made her want to sink under the surface of the water and hide her red face; Instead she let her hands come up to cover the former. Lately her self confidence had been wavering — especially in her appearance. She had good days and bad days, but always tried to show the good to her husband, but today was an especially bad day for her.

"I don't see how you can think this…" She uttered, turning her head to look away with a frown. "I've gained over twenty pounds, I'm getting stretch marks, I'm pretty sure my feet are classified as a club now…" Resting her arms on the side of the tub, her chin came down to rest as well; staring off at nothing in particular with a huff.

He moved across the tub, arms sliding around her rounded midriff as he left a kiss just behind her ear, still smiling.

"You'll always be beautiful to me, Tomoe." He knew it was a corny line, he flushed lightly from embarrassment just after saying it—and yet, he knew it was true. It left a warmth in his heart, and he nuzzled into her dark hair, kissing her neck again. One of his hands traced a repetitive line up and down her stomach, wordlessly admiring the smoothness of her skin while his chin rested on her shoulder.

She choked on her retort as the blonde laid tender kisses just behind her ear, face flushing anew at his compliments and touches. Suddenly however, she froze, a strange feeling in the swell of her body making her turn back and look up at Barnaby with shock.

"I think… one of them just kicked." Her mood had a complete turn around, snatching at her husband's hand and laying it just where she'd felt the pressure.

He frowned slightly in concern when she froze; when she explained, his shocked expression mirrored hers. He waited patiently, his hand not moving from where she'd placed it, subconsciously holding his breath until…he felt it, a slight bump from the other side.  
Looking down at Tomoe, awe and unrestrained happiness suffused his entire being, a brilliant smile spreading across his face. Green eyes bright, he cupped her face with both hands and kissed her for a long moment before pulling back with a joyful laugh. Resting his forehead against hers, he sighed.

"…I love you, Tomoe Brooks."

She kissed him back eagerly, forgetting all her past troubles from just moments ago. Mimicking his joyful laugh, she rested her hands on his cheeks as she cracked a smile, humming happily.

"And I love you, Barnaby Brooks Jr." She cooed, letting a hand fall to move his to a lower point on the side of her stomach, another kick poking at her. "The other seems to be awake too," She laughed, sighing contently after. She reached for her body wash which sat beside her, flicking the cap open and squeezing some into her hands; smirking devilishly as she instead rubbed the more feminine smelling product across Barnaby's chest and lathered it in.

He laughed along with her, then jolted as she lathered her body wash across his chest.

"Hey, that's cold!" His complaint was punctuated with another laugh as he moved away from her hand for a moment. Moving in to kiss her cheek, he shrugged with a smirk. "Oh well; at least I'll have a reminder of you with me for a little while." He hooked his arms loosely around her shoulders, cheek resting against his bicep as he gazed at her idly. He loved these moments, when they could just be silly with each other and not worry about if someone was watching.

She too rested her head against his arm, idly lathering what was left of the body wash on her hands over her stomach and chest. Of course her back was even harder to reach now, but she'd figure a way around that. She turned her head just slightly, kissing his arm gently as she kept eye contact with him, smiling. She rinsed her hand off, letting it come to stroke through blonde curls, murmuring quiet affections to him. She shifted, this position soon becoming uncomfortable for her back, groaning in discomfort as she pushed herself up from leaning against the tub.

"Sorry, Bunny."

He moved back to let her shift position, shaking his head a bit when she apologized and assuring her it was fine. Standing for a moment, he grabbed the showerhead and removed it from its mount in the wall before turning it on and dousing his hair. Shaking some excess water from his blonde locks, he heard her quiet yelp of surprise as drops went flying and looked up, a mixture of apology and amusement on his face as he laughed again.

"Sorry about that."

She laughed after being hit with small droplets shook from his blonde hair. She eased herself onto her feet, water trickling down her fair skin and the tips of her hair, grabbing his shampoo and squeezing some on top of his head — setting the bottle aside as she returned to lathering it in with a smile.

"Pretty Bunny~" She cooed, continuing to massage his scalp, pressing her body closer so she could reach.

Chuckling again as she rubbed shampoo into his hair, he sighed when she massaged his scalp and leaned into her touch a little. Bowing his head so she could reach it a bit easier, his light blush darkened noticeably at her compliment. He replied, eyes still downturned towards the water's surface.

"You're one to talk. You're much prettier than someone like me could ever be." He smoothed a hand gently over her rounded stomach, moving forward to place a quick kiss against her skin. Looking up when she pulled her hands away from his head, he recognized the look in her eyes and spoke again. "And don't deny it." He smirked, another laugh humming in the back of his throat.

She pouted as he denied her voice, shaking the excess suds from her hands as her frown deepened into a defeated huff.

"Well it isn't true." She denied his words anyways, like something hardwired into her brain. She easily sat back down into the water, dipping under to soak her long hair, coming up a moment later and wiping the water away from her eyes. "Barnaby," She motioned for him to sit down, holding her hand out.

Laughing, he poked the end of her nose, still smirking.

"Is too, and you can't convince me otherwise." He sat down when she called his name, starting to reach for her hand to grasp it, but was then unsure if that's what she was going for. Sitting with ankles crossed and knees resting on either side of the tub, he leaned his elbow on one knee and rested his chin in his hand, waiting for her to finish her request, still with a smile on his face as he simply gazed at her. He doubted he'd ever get the slightest bit bored with someone as beautiful and wonderful as Tomoe, and the thought made his expression soften and warm.

"Here," She gently tugged on his arm, motioning for him to turn around, but not lean against her. When he did, she let him lie down in the water leaving his face still above the surface while she worked out the suds in his hair. "I think I'll be able to convince you otherwise in the future." She added, kissing him on the forehead. It was a wonder he was letting her touch his hair, he was very particular about it although she'd never tried this sort of thing. Of course they'd showered and bathed together before, but it was just a long cuddle session, some talking and going about their own thing. This change of pace was, nice.

He let out another huff of laughter and shook his head, making his hair swish a little underneath the water. Reaching up, he brushed the backs of his fingers down her cheek.

"I doubt that. Even when we're both in our nineties, you'll still be the most beautiful woman in the world to me." He didn't mind her fingers running through his hair; in fact, he enjoyed it. The repetitive motions had a calming effect, making him feel like closing his eyes—though he knew he shouldn't, because then he might doze off then and there.|

The contact against her cheek was soothing making her sigh happily and smile. Maybe she'd give up this battle for now and admit defeat.

"Fine, fine, you win." She heaved, working the last of the shampoo from his hair, taking her turn in affectionate gestures by rubbing his shoulders easily, working out any excess tension. "Work been stressful lately, hun?" A small amount of concern laced her words, fingers tentatively pressing into the junction between his neck and shoulder where she discovered many tense muscles.

He let out a long sigh as she started gently massaging his shoulders, the built-up tension in the muscles slowly beginning to unwind, and nodded in response to her question.

"Yeah…dunno why, but criminals have been coming out of the woodwork lately. Both tiers of Heroes, we've all been on call the whole day for about a week now. Even though I have reduced hours, when I'm working it's just one crime scene to the next." Reaching up again, he toyed idly with a lock of her long hair, sighing again as her fingers worked the tense stiffness from his neck and shoulders. "I'm just lucky I have you…and them…" he brushed his hand over her rounded midriff. "to come home to."

She smiled down at him, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. "Well, I can let you in on something," She spoke softly, petting his head. "They haven't calmed down since they started; they're happy papa's home." Her eyes softened, hands running over his cheeks; enjoying the stubble that was beginning to show through.

"Mm, you're getting stubbly again~" Tomoe purred, her opposite hand toying with one of his damp curls in much the same manner he'd done with hers.

He couldn't help the toothy smile that spread over his face when she told him, and he laughed aloud.

Barnaby blinked silently as she rubbed her hands over his cheeks, the stubble on his face scraping quietly against her fingers, grin softening to a smirk.

"Yeah, I'll probably need to shave soon." He enjoyed this sort of small talk, especially since it was with Tomoe, someone he'd grown so comfortable with that he could actually hold a conversation without choking off or acting awkward.

She pouted, still running her hands over his cheeks. "But I like your stubble, it feels nice on my skin~" She cooed, smiling to herself, rubbing her legs against his sides. "Want to run a little more hot water, love? It's starting to get a bit cold — too cold to wash in." She shivered against him, the water's temperature had dropped fairly quickly, or perhaps the time they spent bonding had distracted them from their surroundings. "Please~"


	10. 19 & 21 weeks

He laughed again. "Maybe I'll keep it for a while." Noticing her shiver, he nodded in reply and sat up to get some hot water running. He turned back to her after checking the temperature of the fresh water, snatching up her shampoo from the tub's edge. "Here; you might need this." He said it with only light teasing in his tone, an amused smirk on his face.

As the warm water flowing into the tub began to raise the temperature she sighed, humming happily. Her attention caught when he held up her shampoo and dangled it in front of her.

"Oh, picking on a defenseless pregnant woman are we? And your wife no less." She smirked, trying to reach for the bottle in his hand. "Guess you'll just have to wash my hair for me then babe."

Kissing her cheek, he chuckled again. "My apologies." He scooted back to lean against the other end of the tub, flipping the bottle's cap open, still smiling. "Sounds good to me—after all, it's only fair." Reaching out, he toyed with a lock of her hair for a moment before letting it fall. "Your hair's so beautiful…" He laughed once again, louder this time. "I'm a little jealous."

She pulled him in for a kiss immediately after, shifting to lean up against him. His skin was always so nice, and she couldn't deny she loved feeling his skin against hers — no matter how much or how little that may be.

"N-not really… my hair isn't that nice." She laughed nervously, face turning a light shade of scarlet. A hand idly rubbed a small section of his thigh, trying to push down her blush.

He leaned down into the kiss, one hand still clutching the shampoo bottle as the other swept over the skin of her midriff. Pulling back, he raised an eyebrow and huffed out a light laugh, poking the end of her nose. "Oh, hush you." He laughed again. "I know what I'm talking about. Your hair is beautiful, just like the rest of you."

He worked a palmful of shampoo through her hair, making sure not to miss one spot. Moving his hands back up to her scalp, he started up a gentle massage with his fingertips. After a few minutes, he reached forward to rinse off his hands, leaving a gentle kiss on her shoulder as he did so.

His hands knew exactly how to make her feel better. Soft caresses and careful attention to detail; it was as if he was pouring his love out through each simple touch, but she was left groaning happily as the digits worked on her scalp. With her body beginning to relax, she finally let her full weight rest against him.

"Mm… you're too good to me, love." She mumbled, letting her eyes fall closed once they became heavy.

Hugging her from behind, he pressed another gentle kiss to her neck and rested his chin on her shoulder, a small smile on his face when he saw the contentment in her expression.

"I don't think I'm "too good" at all. I'm not really trying to be extra nice or whatever—I just love you. You deserve to be treated like this." Barnaby kissed her cheek before pulling away and dipping Tomoe's head carefully under the water, leaving her face above the surface as he got to work on her scalp again, gently washing the shampoo from her hair. Once it was clean, he leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips, the smile never leaving his face.

Tomoe gave a small purr while he traced his lips over her neck. How did he know what things to say at the right times? He must've practiced so much; at least this is what she'd come to believe after all the times he'd insisted upon being horrid at social situations.

Her hand came to rest against his cheek, smiling just as much into the kiss as he was, enjoying the softness of his lips. A small frown formed when the contact was broken, she enjoyed his affection so much; but things had to be moved along. He worked the conditioner into her hair next, waiting a few minutes before rinsing that out as well with the same loving treatment.

She was glad he was there to help her out of the tub, glad he wrapped the large, soft towel around her body and dried every inch of her off in between kisses and tender words.

**—**

Tomoe slipped into a pair of pajama pants and a loose shirt. Now came the tricky part — setting into that one fine line of comfort for sleeping. She stared the bed down menacingly, gazing at all the pillows for her use. She crawled in, adjusting the pillows by her head first, before grabbing another to rest between her knees. Next she pulled the blankets over her and began shifting around uncomfortably, groaning out complaints as she attempted to find that comforting spot while Barnaby stood by and watched with an amused smirk.

All in all, it took her almost fifteen minutes to get comfortable; sighing in tired defeat.

He knew he really shouldn't be amused by this, but he couldn't help it. Tomoe's frustrated huffs and pouts as she tried to find that perfect comfortable position were adorable. Once she finally settled in with a heavy sigh, he slipped in beside her, hand brushing soothingly over her upper arm.

"You know, we still haven't gotten anywhere with boys' names. Did you have any ideas?" He didn't really expect a very long or in-depth discussion at the moment; the sound of her voice just helped him to fall asleep and, through some sort of complicated psychological explanation, usually kept his nightmares at bay.

She took a minute to think but to also will her eyes to stay open. Her smaller hand rested over his while she thought, finally remembering a few that had stood out for her.

"Well, I liked Greyson, Asher, umm… Fynn and Abel." She listed them off from memory, pausing in between names to get her brain working. "Did you think of anything?" She turned her head as far as she could to see him, although it was useless — her contacts were out and her glasses weren't on, so like him, all she saw was a blur.

He turned over the names in his mind, repeating them silently to see how they flowed with his surname. Looking down at her when she asked for his input—his vision blurry and worsened by the low lighting—he turned his mind to the names he'd tried to come up with on his own.

"Hmm…well, someone suggested Xavier to me earlier today… Other than that…" He sighed, tone plainly apologetic. "I couldn't come up with anything." Leaning in, he kissed the side of her neck softly. "We'll brainstorm some more tomorrow. It's getting late." Reaching over for the small remote on the bedside table, he turned off the overhead light before settling in beside her with another sigh, one arm draped protectively over her.

"Good night."

"Xavier?" It was her turn to mull over a name, letting it settle with the others. "I like it," She concluded, grasping his hand tight and bringing it to her lips to kiss. "But that sounds like a good plan. Whenever you're ready after you're done work, we can look for some ideas." Tomoe suggested, sighing softly as his hand came to rub her belly affectionately and protectively after she'd let it loose.

"Goodnight, love. You'll be up before me, so I love you and have a good day tomorrow,"

—

This time, it was Barnaby doing most of the rushing around, Tomoe merely sitting in the living room chair per the blonde's insistence. She was at 21 weeks now, and Barnaby was being incurably protective. He was going to bed exhausted pretty much every night now, but he considered it worth it as long as Tomoe wasn't overexerting herself. So far, the few bouts of random cravings she'd had were easy to deal with, and somehow they hadn't had any major arguments.

He finally got everything taken care of around the apartment and they went down to the parking lot. Barnaby escorted her to the car, carefully helping her into the passenger seat before getting in and starting the engine. As he drove, he found his gaze drawn to his wife. Pregnancy had been kind to her, and there was a subtle but indescribable glow to her skin; it made him smile almost subconsciously.

21 weeks — Tomoe was more or less over the half way point now and looked like she was full term for one baby. Her ankles were extremely sore and swollen, she tired easily too. As per usual, the moment he buckled her seat belt she fell asleep, only waking when he pet her hair gently and called out her name.

As they walked towards the building, a paper blew by, Tomoe trapping it under her foot, and managing to bend down to pick it up. After a moment of reading her blood went cold and her heart felt like it had stopped. The headliner:

**"The Rookie Hero's Married and Expecting?"**

Below that was a picture of her and him, walking up to the same building that they were now, hand in hand. She subconsciously placed a hand over her stomach protectively, showing him the paper. There goes their cover.

He paused as she picked up the tabloid, a chill cutting through his veins as he saw the headline and the picture. His mind raced, trying to think of who could have given this information to the papers and who could put a stop to it. When he spoke, his tone was low and dangerously quiet.

"I'm going to track down every last one of them and I will make sure they never want to violate my family's privacy ever again." Taking the tabloid from Tomoe, he crushed it in one hand before leading her inside with a level of care incongruent to his black mood. When they were called in for their appointment, Barnaby waited until they got to the examination room before dialing Agnes Joubert's number, starting before she could get a word in.

"Listen carefully. You are going to call off every single reporter that's tailing me; you got that? _Every __**last**__ one_, or so help me I will end their careers before you can say "ratings". Understand? You're going to tell them to stop tailing me, and you're going to forbid them from going anywhere _near_ my family." The other end was silent for a few moments before Agnes assured him that she would do as he asked and hung up. Closing his phone, Barnaby let out a heavy sigh as he sat beside Tomoe, grasping her hand and glancing at her apologetically. "I'm sorry about this, Tomoe…but I promise, I won't let them even think about bothering you or our kids." Leaning forward, he kissed her temple before resting his head on her shoulder as they waited for Dr. Conaway to come in.

She knew he'd be angry about it, heck she'd be boiling on the inside too if she wasn't so _terrified_of what could happen to them. Was it a blessing that she'd picked up the tabloid? She didn't know and she didn't want to think about it as Barnaby rushed her in as fast as she could go.

Her stomach turned from inside the room as she could hear him hissing down his phone about the tabloid and any future ones. Or maybe the twins knew how angry their father was and were trying to calm him in some way. Who knows. She offered him a smile when he came back, nuzzling against his lips that pressed gently on her temple, grasping his hand. "I know… I know you will baby."

Like a broken record the examination began when Dr. Conaway entered the room; the man oblivious to the previous air's tension. He had her stand on the scales, which of course the woman wasn't pleased about, but it was routine.

"Hmm… 148 pounds, good good, you're properly gaining." He muttered, Tomoe flushing bright red as the number was uttered in front of her husband so carelessly. "I expect you to gain another 30 or so pounds give or take to be in a healthy range for the twins." She flushed further, wanting to bury herself in a hole at the moment.

He next took out a tape measure, having her lift her shirt as he wrapped it around her tummy. "22 centimeters in diameter, normal there as well. Tell me have you had anything that worries you?"

Tomoe said the first thing that popped into her mind, frowning. "Yeah my gums are bleeding, I feel like I'll die if I'm in the sun too long and I don't think I know what sleep is anymore." Obviously frustrated, she returned to sitting down on the bed; her frustrations only growing further when he informed her these things were very normal.

She just wanted to go home.

He tried his best to pay attention during the examination, to ignore the protective anger that was still boiling full-strength in his chest, but it wasn't terribly easy. He had to keep taking deep, quiet breaths, trying not to let on that anything was wrong, and his answers to Dr. Conaway's few questions were slightly more curt than usual. Barnaby wanted to apologize for it—the worry, exhaustion, and frustration were plain as day on Tomoe's face—but he couldn't yet manage to convey it in words.

Trying to instead convey his apology in actions, he tried to be as gentle and caring as possible as they at last left the examination room. He held her hand and let his other hand rest on the small of her back as they returned to the car, helping her carefully into the passenger seat and shutting the door. Barnaby glared in all directions in case of any hidden reporters, then got into the driver's seat and started driving home. He took consciously-deepened breaths in a further attempt to cool his anger, having to do so the entire way home.

She was glad to be sitting in the car now, giving her legs and especially her ankles some rest. Sighing heavily, her hand reached out to rest with his on the stick shift. He was still trying to calm down, and for some reason that made a blush cross her face; turning her head away to hide it. It'd been months since they had had any sexual encounters, and stopping to think about it now at the worst of times, when him being _angry_ was what was making her like this - made her heart race just a little too much, made her face flush a little too red. How much more could she embarrass herself in one day?

Shifting and fidgeting anxiously, she tried to calm herself — it was proving more difficult than she expected, her body more demanding than she wanted it to be. They'd be home soon, that's what she continued to tell herself, along with thoughts of 'Why now?' and 'Aaah, stupid, stupid, stupid!'. The brunette didn't even notice that they were parked in the complex's garage until Barnaby had called her name to catch her attention. Her embarrassed blush not dying down, she quickly fumbled with the car door, feet meeting the hard pavement.


End file.
